Improvement in locks



, Tlf l UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIcE.

HENRY H. ELWELL, OF SOUTH NORWALK, CONNECTICUT.

IMPROVEMENT IN LOCKS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 36,645, dated October 14,1862.

To all whom it may concer/nf Be it known that l, HENRY H. ELWELL, of South Norwalk, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Locks; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figures l and 2 are face or side views of my invention; Fig. 3, an end View of the same; Fig. 4, a top view of the same; Figs. 5 and 6, detached views of the strike pertaining t the saine.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several iigures.

This invention relates to an improved lock of that class designed to be applied to doors that open either to the right or to the leftthat is to say, capable of being so adjusted as to -be applied either to a right or left hand door.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my invention, I will proceed to describe it.

A represents a lock, the latch or catch-bolt B of which is provided with two bevels, a a', at its outer end, one bevel being directly over the other, and having reverse positions, as shown clearly in Figs. 3 and 4. This latch or catch-bolt may be operated by a knob in the ordinary way. The bevels a a are not in contact. A space, Z, is allowed between them for the purpose hereinafter mentioned.

C represents the strike`or nosing of the lock, which receives the bevels a a. This strike may be constructed in two different ways. One way, as shown in Figs. l and 2, has two slots or openings, c c', made in its inner edge, a slot or opening being near each end, but not at the same distance from the ends. These slots or` openings c c are designed to admit of the free entrance of the bevel a or c, the one which is not in use in the strike. For instance, by referring to Fig. l, it will be seen that the slot c of the strike is in line with the bevel a of the latch or catch-bolt, and consequently said bevel may enter the strike when the door is closed, the bevel a acting against the strike and being shoved back as the door is closed, and then thrown by the usual spring into the strike below slot c, so as to form the catch. This adjustment of thelock shows that it is applied to a left-hand door,

the bevel of a being outward. In applying the lock to a right-hand door the former is reversed, as shown in Fig. 2, and the strike C is inverted, so that its slot or opening c will be uppermost and in line with bevel a', and admit of the latter passing freely in and ont of the strike as the door is opened and closed, while the bevel a, in consequence of passing into the strike C above the slot or opening c', forms the catch; hence the slots or openings c cf are at such points in the strike C as to eoincide with the bevels a a.

The strike C is secured to the jamb of the door-frame in the usual way, and in order to avoid the exposure of one of the slots or openings they may, instead of being both at one side of the strike, be at opposite sides, as shown in Figs. l and 2, so that either may be used, as desired, by reversing the strike in-` stead of inverting it, as described.

The space b, between the bevels c a', is to allow for the sagging or settling of the door, so that the bevels will not on that account be liable to catch against the edges of the slots or openings c c.

By this invention it will be seen that in applying the lock to either a left or right hand door no adjustment of the internal parts is required, and the lock may be manufactured equally as reasonable as those of ordinary construction.

I do not claim, broadly, the invention of a double-beveled bolt; but,

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is- A Having the bevels a a arranged one above the other upon the bolt B, so that the inclined surface of each bevel will extend entirely across the face of the bolt, all as set forth.

HENRY H. ELWELL. 

